old workers' tools before the altar (notice stick rule)
The feast day of Saint Colmán of Cloyne is 24 November. That day, here, is near Thanksgiving and the weather is often inclement. The parish in Cleveland, the one he is patron of, revived the celebration of his feast day in 2007, but moved it to an earlier Saturday in November. It was almost as if a Mass turned into a céilí. It was beautiful Mass with fine songs, fine music, and fine musicians. This year the building tradesmen were honored. It is near the one hundredth year of Cleveland's Council of the A.F.of L.'s Building and Trade Council.
A former priest of the parish, Fr. James O'Donnell (supra, statue of Colmán behind him) spoke of the 'Workingman's Pope', Leo XIII. Pope Leo in 1891 issued Rerum Novarum, speaking to the dignity of the workingman. And contrary to much propaganda, this has been the position of his successors, of course the pharisees in the American church ignore this, and contradict it. Fr. O'Donnell did not mention that, he did recall when he, and his father worked the hand shovel in construction. He did mention the unity and progression of the work of tradesmen, whom built this church edifice, and so many more.
happy kid at Mass
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| recessional procession |
The cover of both programmes' borrow Fritz Eichenberg's Labor Cross. An hundred years ago, fifty years ago, such a Mass could have happened all over the United States. To-day, this is one of the few parishes that could have done so. I seriously doubt, that another parish in the Cleveland Diocese would have even considered such a Mass. Father Robert Begin concluded Mass saying, unions have made it possible for the working man to receive the wages he deserves. Jesus makes similar statements, in regards to the worker deserving his pay, in the Gospels; but to-day's American priest does not emphasise such words. Alas, many American Catholics reject both Labor and the Gospel for capital (Mammon).
the Portersharks playing before the Magdalen
After Mass, the local folk group, the Portersharks played a concert for those on the main floor. The fiddler, Francis Quinn is a journeyman wireman (construction electrician). They had a broad repertoire of Irish dance tunes, and both modern American folk songs, and traditional Irish and Irish American ones. They played a rousing Mary Ellen Carter. In the social hall below, a long party took place.
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